It’s not the bucket list, but similar. These are the things to do in the Pittsburgh area before you leave. We felt that we missed a few things in Minnesota, and we don’t want that to happen here. So here’s our list: Continue reading
Category Archives: Places we’ve been to
Fallingwater
One of the things to see in western PA is a fairly famous house built by Frank Lloyd Wright called Fallingwater. Oh sure, growing up in Madison (WI) and being close to Taliesin, the Monona Terrace, Johnson Wax, and a smattering of prairie style homes in the Chicago area is nice. However, this is the house that defines Wright’s career.
The house is about 2 hours away from our home. Half of the journey is on the Turnpike, which is currently a complete mess. Then it is on to lesser highways, through a few towns (Normalville, honestly), to the edge of the Ohiopyle State Forest. This was a weekend home for the Kaufmann family, and it is fairly secluded. Continue reading
Recap: Summer 2009
The Summer of 2009 started with our Disney trip. Looking back on the summer, it seems that we didn’t do too much after that.
We spent a lot of time at the local pool. We didn’t get too many hot days. The pool was more of an activity that a relief. The kids enjoyed it. Continue reading
Our Disney Trip
Our big trip this year took us to Walt Disney World in Orlando. We spent a week there, flying from Pittsburgh International on the 11th. When we arrived in Orlando, we quickly changed into our shorts (it was hot outside) and found the Magic Express.
The Magic Express is pretty cool. If you are staying on property, sign up for this. When you get off the plane you just head to the bus area and get on the Magic Express for your resort. You don’t stop by baggage claim; they take care of that for you and place your bags in your room a few hours after your arrival. No car, no hassle. It’s a great service. Continue reading
Back to Minnesota
We visited Minnesota over Memorial Day weekend. Kate and the girls flew out on Thursday, at the start of a 5-day school break. Upon arriving in Minneapolis-St. Paul, they went to the old school and visited with the kids’ teachers. After that it was a race back to the neighborhood to see their friends off the bus. Natalie was able to hang with her BFF Paige. That evening, Kate and the girls stayed at the home of our good friends (and former neighbors) the Smiths.
Where was Brian? In Denver. I was attending a conference for work. The conference ended on Thursday and I flew to the Twin Cities Friday morning. Kate met me at the airport and we had a quick lunch at the Woodbury Cafe and drove around some neighborhoods. We saw a Parade of Homes model open, so we stopped in for a tour. It was a nice home in Stonemill Farms made by Norcutt Homes. Continue reading
Easter in Kentucky
This year we spent Easter in Kentucky. This past weekend we visited Kate’s sister Jennie, Mike and cousin Jack at their home in Lawrenceburg, KY.
We packed the kids in the van and headed down on Friday, the start of Spring Break. The route to the Frankfort (KY) metropolitan area took us south through West Virginia to Charleston. Then we took a right turn and headed west to Frankfort. This was not a pleasant drive. The West Virginia route took us high into the mountains where there were some fierce winds on the road. The route through Kentucky rained the whole way; and it rained hard. Continue reading
BounceU
BounceU opened a new bouncing place in Warrendale. We are considering having Rebecca’s birthday party here. So, today we checked it out and put it through its paces.
Our first impression of BounceU is that it’s clean. Very clean. The only clean you can get with a brand new facility. That’s fine with us. Some of the other older facilities in our area are not so clean. Clean is a plus. Continue reading
Holiday Trip 2008
Christmas morning in Pennsylvania was different than past Christmases in the Midwest. For one, Santa called us ‘Yinz’. The other difference was that it wasn’t as darned cold; it was cold, just not as darned cold. It was also a green Christmas (no snow, that is, not the environmental green).
Christmas started with the girls waking early and camping out downstairs by the tree. Santa was good to the girls and they got new MP3 players from Mom and Dad. Continue reading
Recap: Summer 2008
The blog updates over the summer were pretty scarce. We did stuff; we just didn’t write about it. So here it is, our recap of the highlights of Summer 2008.
Near the end of June, Doug, Sue, and the cousins took a swing through western Pennsylvania on their way back from Disney World. It was a short visit, but it was nice to get the cousins together. Continue reading
Flashback: The Waterfront
The Waterfront is a huge open air shopping mall on the Monongahela River. The mall was built on the site of the old U.S. Steel Homestead Works. The bigger box retailers at the mall include: Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Dave and Busters, Target, Lowes, Macy’s, and more. There are also a number of smaller shops along with a nice courtyard/fountain area near a Starbucks! Continue reading
